September 2015 Charlotte Local Education Foundation Upcoming Events CLEF’s New * Back to School Night Executive Director 11th & 12th Graders Thur., Sept. 3 Armed with over 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, 5:30-7:15 p.m. and fundraising in education, Atlanta native, Sharon McNeal, joins the Location: CCPS Charlotte Local Education Foundation as its newest Executive Director. She began her career at Georgia Public Broadcasting, a statewide PBS Administration Bldg. station. She has served as Vice President of Broadcasting, Communica- tions, Education, and Community Outreach at WTVI, a local PBS station * Mentor Mixer in Charlotte, NC. She is the former Coordinator of Marketing & Commu- Wed., Sept. 23 nications of Pinellas County Schools, FL, the 23rd largest school district in 5:30-7:30 p.m. the country. Location: Jacks on Sharon’s career highlights include: Marion Created a video on demand service that has now become a national model, serving students in all classrooms across the U.S. Either led or co-led marketing teams that raised over $80 million for education in the areas of reading, technology, performing and visual arts. Won a Gold Telly Award, the highest television award for excellence, with her documentary, Women in NC Politics. Honored by former Georgia Governor Zell Miller for her marketing efforts of a program dealing with teen choices. Sharon is a first-generation college graduate from Georgia State University. She is a former high school athlete competing in basketball, track and tennis. She credits her entrance into college through the prompting of her high school Guidance Counselor. Sharon is also a writer, who is currently working on two books. One of which is a book about parental involvement with their K-12 child. Welcome to Charlotte County, Sharon! Mentors Always Needed Sometimes, all a student really needs to succeed is someone to believe in them. Someone who cares enough to share their knowledge and their time. TSIC Mentors: When they do, the returns are incredible. That’s Stella Rodriquez been proven time and time again by Take Stock in and Hope Schmdit Children. CLEF pairs mentors with low-income 8th- 12th graders so these students get the support, motivation, and accountability they need to escape the cycle of poverty, graduate high school, and attend college on a full scholarship. How Do I Become A Mentor? Who Is A Mentor? Take Stock in Children mentors learn the principles and A mentor is a caring, compassionate adult who guidelines of school-based, academic-focused mentor- chooses to devote their time to a young person, ing. They participate in an orientation session and re- offering them support, guidance, and encourage- ceive a manual that contains tools for addressing the ment. If you can donate one hour per week, you general needs of their students: improving grades, pre- can change a life by helping a child build a solid paring for college, career planning, and developing life foundation of values, establish goals, improve their skills. Contact the CLEF office to become a mentor, academic and life skills, while developing their self- P: 941.255.7500 x294. esteem and confidence. “Being a mentor has been and still is a wonderful Where & When Does Mentoring Occur? experience, not only for the student, but for me as Mentoring sessions range from 45-60 minutes and well. I love being involved in Take Stock. It is such a occur at a school near your home or workplace, wonderful opportunity for the students who are in the during school hours. The days and times of men- program. It opens doors for the future of students toring sessions are arranged between the mentor lucky enough to be chosen -- an opportunity that and mentee depending on their individual sched- comes once in a life time!” ules and classes. As a result, mentoring is conven- — Hope Schmidt, mentor since 2009 ient for both students and mentors. Our mentors know (almost) everything. SATURDAY, OCT. 31ST The Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club Harbor Dragons, a local dragon boat club, have partnered with the Charlotte Local Education Foundation (CLEF) to bring Harbor Nissan’s WAR ON THE PEACE Dragon Boat Festival, Saturday, Oct. 31 beginning at 9 a.m. at Laishley Park in Punta Gorda. Proceeds from this event help to benefit Take Stock in Children scholarships for students in need. Dragon boats are the basis of the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing, a water sport which has its roots in an ancient folk ritual of contending villagers, which has been held for over 2000 years throughout southern China. Dragon Boat racing has surged in popularity in the U.S. in recent years. They have become a fun community event and many major cities host dragon boat races each year. For more information, or to register a team, click here. Charlotte Local Education Foundation will launch its’ new website in a matter of days. The new website will highlight our Partners in Education, our programs, and upcoming events. There will be a Student/Mentor spot- light, and a section where community partners have their say, titled “What People Are Saying.” There is a list of several choices to get involved with CLEF through donations and volunteering. Visit www.CharlotteSchoolFoundation.org to see our new look and get involved. Inside TSIC . OUR MISSION Take Stock in Children (TSIC) is a nonprofit organization, transforming Florida one student at a time. Working in every county throughout state, and administered in Charlotte County through the Charlotte Lo- cal Education Foundation, the mission of TSIC is to break the cycle of poverty for low-income, academically qualified students by providing opportunities for a post-secondary education. They offer college scholarships to students, providing caring volunteer mentors, and instill hope for a better life. Their comprehensive services begin in middle school, continue through high school, and include students’ transition into college and career. Take Stock in Children was founded in the early 1990s to combat a troubling and persistent dropout rate that plagued the public school system in Tampa. Created by a local education foundation with the backing of concerned community leaders, the initiative sought to give high-potential, low-income students the resources they needed to graduate from high school, go to college, and set their course for life. Funding for TSIC scholarships comes from corporate and community partners. Every dollar raised is match by the Florida Prepaid Foundation, dollar for dollar. Donate to CLEF today to help us fund the next generation of college graduates. For more information, contact Sharon McNeal, P: 914.255.7500 x294. Launch A Scholar What if you could keep a low-income child in school and help stop the cycle of poverty? What if you could motivate them to stay drug-free, crime-free, and to make good grades? What if you could help them succeed by pairing them up with a Personal mentor? What if you could help them become the first person in their Family to attend college? You CAN — by supporting Take Stock in Children with a donation. Support Take Stock in Children scholarships, mentoring, and hope. $8,500 four-year tuition scholarship 3 year pledge of $2,850 Donations fund Charlotte County low-income students Online donations: www.CharlotteSchoolFoundation.org Your Support can change their life. Forever. A Trailer Full of Back to School Supplies Thanks to the generous support of community donations through CLEF’s business partners, Charlotte County Public Schools’ students are able to begin the new school year ready to learn. CLEF’s business partners collected items such as pencils & pens, glue, paper, backpacks, and more. Additional supplies were dropped off at CLEF’s Teacher Supply Depot for teachers to pick-up throughout the school year for their classrooms. The Depot is open Mondays & Wednesdays, from 2-5 p.m. Business Partners included: Burnt Store Isles Association Charlotte County Tax Collector’s Office Charlotte State Bank & Trust CCPS Champs Café Fifth-Third Bank McDonald’s Peace River ABATE St. Charles Catholic School Suncoast Credit Union Sponsorship Opportunities for You Model United Nations (MUN) Our high school students compete at the national and international level of academic competition through a program called Model United Nations or MUN. This program allows students to learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. MUN involves and teaches research, public speaking, debating, and writing skills, in addition to critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership abilities. Students who participant in MUN are referred to as delegates, and are placed in committees and assigned countries or occasionally other organizations or political figures, where they represent members of that body. They are presented with their assignments in advance, along with a topic or topics that their committee will discuss. Delegates conduct research before conferences and formulate positions that they will then debate with their fellow delegates in committee, staying true to the actual position of the member they represent. At the end of the conference, the best- performing delegates in each committee, as well as delegations, are recognized as winners. Our Port Charlotte HS MUN team has a record of unparalleled academic success. It is by far the most successful competitive program in the history of Charlotte County Public Schools: PCHS UMN has earned a Best Delegation Award at every major international MUN Competition held at prestigious universities such as Harvard, the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, and the University of Pennsylvania. To win this recognition, means that PCHS’ team out performed (defeated) all the other 150 or so schools, head to head. The PCHS MUN team has won well over 50 other championships including 8 consecutive state conference championships, 18 consecutive southwest Florida Regional Championships, and 12 consecutive Southern U.